Shell question

[lsu2868]

Hey there...A friend at work recently brought me a box of 2 3/4 shells that were in his Grandfathers garage. He found them after his Grandfather passed away. There are about 130 total. One box had a price label on it from 2005 and all the boxes look the same. The boxes are slightly worn and shells look perfect. My question is, if they have been stored out there that long in the heat, cold, humidity (I live in Louisiana)...do you think they are still safe to use? Was curious about the gun powder and moisture. They are all Winchester Super X and some Federals. Thanks for the help and suggestions.

 

[rjpoog1989]

I would think as long as the brass is in good shape and not corroded in any way then you should be good to go. I have ammo from way before 2005 and never had problems, but it has been stored in a room with dehumidifier. Still, you should be fine.

 

[LAZY EYED SNIPER]

^ Agreed.

Last year I found a box of shells that had been in a drawer for about 15 years. They looked good as new and all fired off without a hitch...

 

[lsu2868]

Cool...I kinda figured so but just wanted to get some more experienced opinions. Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[MikeD]

I found some in my grandfathers cabin a while back that were prob older than I was (40 at the time) and they fired fine.

Sent from my Mossberg 930 using Tapatalk2

 

[oli700]

Was curious about the gun powder and moisture.

when its dry it works, when its wet it dosent.
Black powder can be dried and used again, modern powder cant

Ammo, doesn’t magically gain power with time, humidity and moisture, it either works or it dosent.

As far as safety goes, I don’t see a problem.

If they are steel shot and it rusts together and makes a solid projectile maybe harm your barrel ,if you put them through a choke the rust may or may not break up on the way through.

 

[nitesite]

I'll agree with all the above that it's almost certainly safe to shoot. Heat and cold are not really a factor for modern ammunition, humidity to only a very small extent. I have shotgun ammunition in the trunks of patrol cars here in Alabama that has fired exactly as expected even after several years in unstable environments.

Excellent point, oli700, about checking to see if it's steel shot and rusted.

 

[cmcdonald]

Another question regarding shot shells.

What's the main difference between a Federal 2 3/4 Magnum in 00 buck and just a regular Federal 2 3/4 00 buck shell?

Would it be a problem to fire out of 500 chambered for 2 3/4" to 3" shells?